Officials have concluded that the leak does not pose a threat to drinking water supplies from Silver Lake. In a congressional hearing Tuesday, Shimkus noted that TransCanada, operators of the Keystone Pipeline, provided Highland with a spill response trailer used by firefighters to contain the spill before it reached the lake.

In the hearing, Shimkus asked Cummings to explain how the criteria and benchmarks in PHMSA’s Corrective Action Order could provide the community with some certainty that the pipeline will be safe when it resumes operation. Cummings said the order, which was issued on Tuesday, would look at pipefittings across the pipeline network as well as how long it took for Plains to notify emergency responders of the situation.

Shimkus also asked Cummings what actions Congress could take to help PHMSA collect data from states and localities about drinking water supplies to aid in future analysis, planning and responses.